Handicapped persons&#39; hygiene seat

ABSTRACT

For handicapped persons, especially wheelchair users, a hygiene seat is proposed having a rim comprising two cooperating tubes (7, 8) adjustable in an axial direction and via a detent mechanism, as well as guide rails (4a, 4b) serving to receive a tub (6) or a board, whereby a cushion may be mounted on said board (3) closing the opening in the rim.

The invention concerns a hygiene seat for handicapped persons,especially wheelchair users, having a preferably upholstered rim.

With medical advances, the number of persons left in a paralyzedcondition and dependent upon use of a wheelchair for mobility aftersurviving accidents or similar illnesses is growing. In practiceconsiderable difficulties result when the wheelchair user is travelling,since he is dependent upon hotels for providing the requisiteaccommodations which include WC's designed for wheelchair use, withcorresponding supports and handles, adequate door widths and adequatespace in order to allow for him to maneuver the wheelchair. Similarrequirements exist for washrooms and showers, which also requirestructural measures and the employment of a correspondingly equippedsanitary-room wheelchair. Since hotel accommodations with specialfacilities for handicapped persons are naturally rare, andcorrespondingly expensive to use, even those wheelchair users who wantto travel are prevented.

Travel is difficult because of the predictable hygienic disadvantagesencountered, as well as finding the required accommodations withfacilities for handicapped persons.

On this basis it is the object of this invention to provide a hygieneseat for handicapped persons that makes it possible to use hotelaccommodation that are not provided with wheelchair facilities.

This object is solved by providing an apparatus having two cooperating,axially displaceable tubes which have a detent mechanism, as well asguide rails, which are disposed on the underside of the rim, in the edgearea, which serve to receive a tub or board, whereby a cushion closingthe opening of said rim may be laid on said board.

The crucial advantage of the present invention is that a hotel's bathingaccommodations are usable by wheelchair users with the aid of thepresent invention if a bathtub is available and the bathroom has anentrance door of sufficient width to permit access by the wheelchair.One of the basic features of the present invention provides that bylaying the hygiene seat on the top edge of a standard bathtub saidhygiene seat is supported and fixed at a height that the wheelchair usercan traverse without difficulty. The hygiene seat of the presentinvention may be adapted to any bathtub facility and may be used in themanner described in detail below.

For use as a shower seat the hygiene seat is laid on the top edge of abathtub whereby first, the tubes are extended until the hygiene seat canbe placed with one of its front edges on the front edge of the tub andcan be laid by means of the extended tubes on the opposite edge, and isthereby supported. A cushion is inserted in the opening of the rim 50that one of the boards serving as a support is inserted into the guiderails. The user sits upright on the seat, whereby his legs may be eitherin front of, or in, the tub. The latter case has the advantage thatthorough washing or showering of the legs and feet is readily possiblewithout any additional measures such as the use of a foot-bath. Thehandicapped person sits unrestricted, and therefore readily accessibleby a nurse, which is preferable to conventional shower cabins. Thewashing water runs into the tub, and thence directly to the drain.Flooding of the bathroom is largely impossible.

Disabled persons necessarily sit most of the day in a wheelchair, whichmeans that they are compelled to take the utmost care for cleanlinessand hygiene of the anal/genital region, since they would otherwisequickly be afflicted with seat sores. The hygiene seat of this inventionpermits the use of a shower from below for thorough cleaning of theseregions of the body. First the center part of the seat is removed sothat only the open rim remains. The user then seats himself thereupon,the position of his legs being in principle free and they may especiallybe in front of the tub so that his back is oriented towards the wall.The shower head is adjusted such that the anal/genital region issprayed. In an advantageous manner a shower holder may be used fortemporary reception and fixing of the shower head. By the adjustment ofthe shower head as a "soft jet" in a manner known to the art, splashingof the water is reduced which, in turn, reduces the chances thatflooding of the washroom facilities would occur. Because of the openingin the seat, cleaning can be done from above, as well as from below,from either the left or right side.

Another important possibility of the use according to this inventionconsists in the utilization as a lavatory seat. For this purpose, withopen rim, a tub is inserted into the guide rail into which is introducedeither an insert for dry evacuation, which is later disposable via ahygiene bag without odor, or a water filling, which serves forneutralizing odors and easy disposal by the normal WC flush.

A combination with the above-described undershower use can thereby beaccomplished by opening and adjusting the shower head for temperatureand fixing it under the seat before the start of the evacuation in themanner that after removal of the tub spraying occurs upon the regionsthat need cleaning.

Another possible use includes using the tub as a bidet by filling itwith wash water, lotion, or similar and subsequently inserting the tubunder the seat. Careful washing and care is thereby additionally aided.The essential advantage of the hygiene seat according to this inventionis that it makes the wheelchair user independent of reliance uponhotel/motel operators for providing wheelchair facilities, and aids himin travelling in a decisive manner. A further advantage is its universalapplicability and use.

The axially adjustable tubes of the invention are lockable by a detentmechanism, which allows For the adjustable tubes to be freely positionedfor any bathtub. reasons of simplicity of construction and directpositioning of the rim on the front edge of the bathtub it is sufficientand rational to design the tubes extensible in only one direction.

The possibility of adjustment of the tubes in the axial direction can beprovided by a telescopic type of fastening, i.e. by more or less deepinsertion into a guide tube.

Since the tubes are disposed below the rim, and the rim itself restsdirectly on the front edge of the bathtub, whereby the outer edge of thetubes comes to lie on the back edge of the bathtub, the rim will assumein the simplest case a position inclined to the horizontal. To removethis disadvantage, the tube is correspondingly angled outside the rim,so that the rear end is correspondingly lowered, and as a result the rimis aligned in the horizontal.

The invention also claims, in addition to the device, its use. With theaid of the above details the use of the device, by laying it in alateral direction on the bathtub, can also be deduced.

It is additionally critical for the usability of the invention that thehygiene seat can be used independently of a bathtub if it is placed on asuitably dimensioned frame. In a dismounted condition it can be easilystowed, transported and carried in a suitcase and used and employedanywhere, as required. On account of the lack of a shower connection,the possible uses as a shower and/or undershower are in this caseeliminated.

For reasons of stability, the frame has outwardly tilted legs which areconnected in pairs at their top regions via struts inclined to thehorizontal. At least the upper parts of each strut serve as stopsurfaces for the hygiene seat, and the lower parts as guides for theshower with its hose connection.

Further details, features and advantages of the invention can be takenfrom the following description part in which the invention is explainedin greater detail with the aid of a drawing of a typical embodiment. Itshows in schematic cross-sectional view a device according to thisinvention in the state of being mounted upon a bath tub.

The illustrated hygiene seat comprises a base plate (2) for the rim (1)in which a cushion is inserted over the base plate (2) in the interioropening. Fastening is by means of a board (3) below this, which isretained at the sides in guide rails (4), and can be removedhorizontally. The base plate (2) of the cushion rests on distance pieces(5) on the board (3).

Board (3) can be slidably removed in a horizontal direction from theguide rails (4a, 4) and replaced by a tub or channel (6) for washing. Inthe drawing figure, for convenience, incomplete illustrations of a tubor channel (6), the board and the cushion are provided. In this regard,it is to be understood that those proportions of the foregoing featuresnot shown in the drawing have a structure which is similar to thoseportions so illustrated.

The hygiene seat of this invention is mounted on the front edge of thebathtub together with the front part of the base plate (2), and isthereby supported against forwards horizontal displacement by the guiderails (4). On the rear edge of the bathtub the hygiene seat rests on asupport tube (7), which is telescopically adjustable in an axialdirection in a guide tube (8). The outer end of the support tube (7) hasa cap (9), serving to stabilize against slipping. The end of guide tube(8) is designated by reference numeral (10). In a preferred embodiment,one of the foregoing tubes is angled outside of the rim of the hygieneseat. Rails (4, 4a) are attached to the underside of base plate (2) ofrim (1). As shown in the drawing figure, tube (8) is retained by rails(4, 4a), with rail (4a), again referring to the drawing, being attachedto tube (8) at a point along the length of tube (8).

The top side of the base plate of the rim (1) is upholstered (11) andthe cushion is likewise upholstered (12). The hygiene seat of theinvention is able to tilt when a user mounts the seat. Because rim (1)partially rests on a side wall of the bathtub, as shown in the far leftportion of the drawing figure, it is able to stabilize the seat once theuser has fully mounted the seat.

As a result the device of this invention aids handicapped persons,especially wheelchair users, in performing hygienic functions withoutthe necessity for special facilities for the handicapped.

I claim:
 1. A hygiene seat for a handicapped person, comprising:aannular seat member with an underside and capable of supporting a personin a seated position, said seat member being capable of resting on atleast one side wall of a bathtub for supporting the person in the seatedposition; two cooperating tubes being fixed at the underside of saidseat member with one of said cooperating tubes being retained atopposing sides of said seat member, said cooperating tubes beingadjustable relative to one another in an axial direction and having adetent mechanism for fixing said cooperating tubes in position; a pairof guide rails affixed to the underside of said seat member and each ata respective one of said opposing sides, said guide rails retaining saidone cooperating tube of said two cooperating tubes in position along alength of said one cooperating tube, said guide rails further includingtwo horizontally-opposed indentations; and, a washing tub, said washingtub being slidably removable from, and held at its edges by, the twohorizontally-opposed indentations of said guide rails in a horizontaldirection.
 2. The hygiene seat for a handicapped person according toclaim 1, further comprising a cushion resting on a board, said boardbeing received by said guide rails when said tub is removed therefrom.3. The hygiene seat for a handicapped person according to claim 1,wherein said cooperating tubes are telescopically adjustable relative toone another.
 4. The hygiene seat for a handicapped person according toclaim 1, wherein said seat member is upholstered.
 5. A hygiene seat fora handicapped person, comprising:a substantially annular seat memberwith an underside and capable of supporting a person in a seatedposition, said seat member being capable of resting on at least one sidewall of a bathtub for supporting the person in the seated position; twocooperating tubes being fixed at the underside of said seat member withone of said cooperating tubes being retained at opposing sides of saidseat member, said cooperating tubes being adjustable relative to oneanother in an axial direction and having a detent mechanism for fixingsaid cooperating tubes in position; a pair of guide rails affixed to theunderside of said seat member and each at a respective one of saidopposing sides, said guide rails retaining said one cooperating tube ofsaid two cooperating tubes in position along a length of said onecooperating tube, said guide rails further including twohorizontally-opposed indentations; a board, said board tub beingslidably removable from, and held at its edges by, the twohorizontally-opposed indentations of said guide rails in a horizontaldirection; and, cushion resting on said board.
 6. The hygiene seat for ahandicapped person according to claim 5, wherein said cooperating tubesare telescopically adjustable relative to one another.
 7. The hygieneseat for a handicapped person according to claim 5, wherein said seatmember is upholstered.
 8. A hygiene seat for a handicapped person,comprising:a substantially annular seat member with an underside andcapable of supporting a person in a seated position, said seat memberbeing capable of resting on at least one side wall of a bathtub forsupporting the person in the seated position; two cooperating tubesbeing fixed at the underside of said seat member with one of saidcooperating tubes being retained at opposing sides of said seat member,said cooperating tubes being adjustable relative to one another in anaxial direction and having a detent mechanism for fixing saidcooperating tubes in position; a pair of guide rails affixed to theunderside of said seat member and each at a respective one of saidopposing sides, said guide rails retaining said one cooperating tube ofsaid two cooperating tubes in position along a length of said onecooperating tube, said guide rails further including twohorizontally-opposed indentations; and, a washing tub; a board and acushion; said washing tub and said board each being slidably removablefrom, and held at its edges by, the two horizontally-opposedindentations of said guide rails in a horizontal direction, said washingtub being capable of use when said board is not being used and saidboard being capable of use when said washing tube is not being used withsaid cushion resting on said board.
 9. The hygiene seat for ahandicapped person according to claim 8, wherein said cooperating tubesare telescopically adjustable relative to one another.
 10. The hygieneseat for a handicapped person according to claim 8, wherein said seatmember is upholstered.